*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of braai

Borrowed from Afrikaans braai (“to grill”), from Dutch braden (“roast”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To grill meat over an open flame (not on a gas grill).

noun

A barbecue (grill), especially an open outdoor grill built specifically for the purpose of braaing. · A social meeting including the braaing of meat; a cookout. · Meat cooked by this method.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Afrikaans braai (“to grill”), from Dutch braden (“roast”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "af",
        "3": "braai",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to grill"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Afrikaans braai (“to grill”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "braden",
        "4": "",
        "5": "roast"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch braden (“roast”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "braai",
      "braai#Afrikaans"
    ],
    [
      "braden",
      "braden#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To grill meat over an open flame (not on a gas grill)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "ambitransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "e5e7d033fedc18627ecda680abf8b6c2ea5e3b55b25f9c73f4c05fa3f7e21b08",
      "rawRecordSha256": "07f6cd73393335edc92b3d9b02d6077ba3adf35a536522cefb2f700a10b65a8d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 271584
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A barbecue (grill), especially an open outdoor grill built specifically for the purpose of braaing.",
        "A social meeting including the braaing of meat; a cookout.",
        "Meat cooked by this method."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "Botswana",
        "Zimbabwe"
      ],
      "recordId": "f51d865227b4f527f9bf03789c3c3cc23683fbb0aef97051260bebbbc0504472",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8704fea9450bcb495bdfc214be68904c80406be47980d1c3a72712f0c4a65f11",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 271583
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for braai →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YnJhYWk